Digital media, projection design & technology for theatre

Cover
Title
Copyright
CONTENTS
Contributors
Preface
Acknowledgments
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
	FROM FIREPIT TO KINDLE FIRE, THE RISE OF DIGITAL MEDIA
	DEFINING DIGITAL MEDIA IN TERMS OF THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE
	DEFINING THE ROLE OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER
	BASIC SKILLS OF THE DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER
	DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN AS A CAREER
	JOBS FOR A DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGNER BEYOND THE THEATRE
	WHY USE DIGITAL MEDIA?
	MEANING MAKING AND THE LANGUAGE OF DIGITAL MEDIA IN THEATRE
		A Designer’s Practical Taxonomy
		Examples of Atmospheric and Interactive Digital Media
			Atmospheric Digital Media
			Interactive Digital Media
	REFERENCES
CHAPTER 2 INTEGRATING DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN INTO THE THEATRICAL TEAM
	PRODUCERS AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
		Budget
		Scheduling
		Personnel/Crew
	STAGE MANAGEMENT
		Digital Media in the Rehearsal Hall
	ARTISTIC TEAM
		Directors
		Actors
		Rehearsing with Interactive Digital Media
	TOWARD A UNIFIED DESIGN
		Scenic
			Screens
			Materials and Textures
			Self-Emitting Media Gear
			Staging
			Floor Treatment
			3D Models
			Shared Documents Created by the Scenic Department
			Ground Plan
			Elevations and Sections
			Line Set Schedule
		Lighting
			Projections
			Direction of Light
			Projector Placement
			Color Temperature
			Color Palette
			Brightness
			Tech
		Sound
			Who’s in Charge of What?
			Audio Playback in the Performance Space
		Costumes
		Props
CHAPTER 3 DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN PROCESS AND WORKFLOW
	FIRST STEPS
		Salary
		Negotiating Deliverables
		Setting Limits
		Working with Budgets
		Equipment
		Consider the Schedule
		Know the Venue
		Design Meetings
		Production Meetings
	THE SCRIPT
		Working with Scripts
		Reading the Script for the First Time
		On the Second Reading
		On the Third Reading
		A List of Lists
	DEVISING
		How to Be Productive in the Devising Process
		Constraints
	DESIGN PHASE I: RESEARCH
		To Research Previous Productions or Not?
		Finding Your Research
		Organizing and Sharing Research
		Mood Boards
	DESIGN PHASE II: CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
		Conceptual Design Statement
		Design Presentations
	DESIGN PHASE III: FROM SCRIPT TO CUE LIST
		Creating the Cue List: Scene-by-Scene Content Breakdown
		Elements of a Good Cue List
		The To-Do List
		Reviewing the Cue List with the Director: Early and Often
		Cue Numbering
		Looking Ahead to Calling Cues
	DESIGN PHASE IV: DECIDING ON SYSTEM AND TECHNOLOGY
		System
		Stock Equipment
		Rental Equipment
		Purchasing Equipment
		Projector Placement
	DESIGN PHASE V: CONTENT CREATION AND SHOW INTEGRATION WORKFLOW
		Initial Phase: Roughs
		Initial Phase: Firsts
		Intermediate Phase: Seconds
		Intermediate Phase: Finals
		Onsite Phase: Finals in the Theatre
	DESIGN PHASE VI: LOAD-IN AND TECH WEEK
		Paperwork
		Rendering
		The Order of Tech and Dark Time in the Theatre
			Load-In and System Setup
			Alignment/Warping/Blending
			Mapping/Masking
			Programming/Cueing
		Tech Notes
		Training Operators
	DESIGN PHASE VII: FINALIZING THE DESIGN
		Getting Final Sign-Off from the Director
		Locking Down Equipment, Cables, and the Media Server
		Show Reports
	DESIGN PHASE VIII: DOCUMENTING YOUR WORK
	DESIGN PHASE IX: ARCHIVING THE PROJECT
CHAPTER 4 CONTENT CREATION 101
	2D AND 3D CONTENT IN A 3D WORLD
	CREATING CONTENT IN RELATION TO THE THEATRICAL SET AND FOR SURFACES OTHER THAN PROJECTION SCREENS
	HOW MUCH CONTENT DO YOU NEED AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE?
	ORGANIZATION OF ASSETS
	BACKING UP YOUR DATA
	THE BASICS OF DESIGN
		Style
		Line
		Shape
		Composition
		Rule of Thirds
		Negative Space
		Unity
		Variety
		Balance
		Color
		Texture
		Emphasis
		Contrast
		Scale and Proportion
		Repetition and Pattern
		Typography
	THE BASICS OF DIGITAL CONTENT
		Bits and Bytes
		Pixels, Rasters, and Resolution
			Pixels Are Data
			Pixels in Displays
			Pixelization
			Raster vs. Vector
		CMYK and RGB Color, Bit Depth, and Alpha Channels
			CMYK
			RGB
			Hue, Saturation, and Value
			RGB(A): Alpha Channels
		Digital Color Space
			Chroma (Color) Subsampling or 4:2:0 vs. 4:2:2 vs. 4:4:4
		Contrast and Dynamic Range
		Compositing
	TYPES OF CONTENT
		Custom Content
		Found Content
		Stock Content
		Still Images
			Photography
				The Ubiquity of the Photograph
				The Basics of Photography and Still Images
		Moving Images
			Video Basics
				Analog vs. Digital
				Interlaced/Progressive
				Frame Rates and Standards
				Video Resolution/Aspect Ratio
				Bit Rate
				Compression, File Types, Codecs, and Containers
				Transcoding
			Making Movies: Video Production 101
			Types of Shots
			Video Lighting
			Audio
			Video Editing
			Linear vs. Nonlinear
			Pace/Speed
			Looping
			Cutting on Action/Matching Eyeline
			Montage
		Animation
			2D Animation
			3D Animation
		Real-Time Effects on Prerecorded Content
		Generative Art/Video as Content
			The Basics of Generative Art/Video
		Data as Content
		Interactive Systems as Content
			Meaning Making from Interactivity
			Live Video/Cameras
				Real-Time Effects on Live Cameras
				Rehearsing with Cameras
				To See a Camera Operator or Not?
		Computer/Machine Vision
			Tracking Performers and Objects
		VJ Style
		Video Game Theory and Technology
		Hybrid Content/Systems
	RENDERING, STORAGE, AND PLAYBACK
	RENDER VS. REAL-TIME
CHAPTER 5 GEAR AND TECHNICAL TASKS
	SYSTEMS
	VIDEO SIGNALS
		Video Cables
			The Anatomy of a Video Cable with a Single Strand of Wire
			Coax
			BNC
			RCA
			S-Video or Y/C
			VGA
			DVI
			HDMI
			DisplayPort
			SDI
			Fiber Optic
			Thunderbolt
			USB
			FireWire
			Cat 5 and Cat 6 Ethernet cable
		Video Signal Distribution Hardware
			EDID Managers, Video Amplifiers, Replicators, Extenders, Repeaters, Splitters, and Distribution
				Datapath
				Matrox Triple Head
		Video Scalers
		Video Mixers
		Video Cable Adapters and Signal Converters
			Wireless Video
			RF Modulator
			Cat 5/6 Extenders
			Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC)
	MEDIA SERVERS
		Types of Media Servers
			Timeline-Based Media Servers
			Layer/Cue Stack-Based Media Servers
			Node-Based Media Servers
			VJ-Based Media Servers
		Common Media Server Features
			Built-In Mapping and Masking Features
			Max # of Inputs
			Max # of Outputs
			Max # of Layers
			Max # of Simultaneous HD Videos
			Notable Supported Protocols
	PROJECTORS
		Projector Types
			DLP
			LCD
			LCoS
			Laser
		Technical Specifications of Projectors
			Lumens
			Resolution and Aspect Ratio
			Contrast Ratio
			Inputs/Outputs
			Fan/Air Flow/Filters
			Network Capable
			Installation
		Projector Lenses
			Types of Lenses
		Working with Projectors
			Focus
			Keystone
			Lens Shift
			Convergence
			Calculating Surface Brightness/Luminance
			Calculating Screen Size, Throw Distance, and/or Lens Needed
			Calculating Pixel Size, Pixels per Square Inch (PPI), and Approximate Perceived Pixel Size
			Projection Calculators
			Warping and Projection Mapping
			Masks
			Using Multiple Projectors
			Blending
				Step 1: Calculate the Overlap
				Step 2: Align the Projected Rasters to the Calculated Overlap
				Step 3: Adjust the Media Server’s Blend Function to the Same Percentage of Overlap
				Step 4: Adjust the Gain, Gradient, or Blend Amount in the Media Server
		Projector-Related Equipment
			Lamps
			Dowsers
			Mounts and Cages
	PROJECTION SCREENS AND SURFACES
		Screen Gain and Viewing Angle
		Front and Rear Projection Screens and Fabrics
		Sharkstooth Scrim
	EMISSIVE DISPLAYS
		LED Displays
		Monitors/TVs
	CAMERAS
		Camera Basics
			Aperture
			Shutter Speed
			ISO
			White Balance
		Digital Image Sensors
		DSLR
		Video Cameras
		Cameras for Live Video
			Latency
			Lighting for Live Cameras
	VIDEO CAPTURE CARDS AND DEVICES
	VIDEO PRODUCTION GEAR
		Camera Kit
		Audio Kit
		Light Kit
		Miscellaneous Video Gear
		Editing System
	NETWORKING
		Open Sound Control (OSC)
		DMX512-A
		MIDI
		Art-Net
		Wired and Wireless Routers/Switches
		Network Cable
			Cat 5/6 Ethernet Cables
			Serial Cables
	SENSORS
		Infrared (IR) Cameras
			Marker-Based Real-Time Tracking of Performers and Objects in 3D
		Depth Cameras
		Microphones
		Encoders
		Gyroscopic
		Pressure, Flex, and Contact
	REFERENCE
Endface
Glossary
Index